Important message: If you encounter any bug or unexpected crashes while using KanjiBox, please, please, contact me first by email: it is impossible for me to address bug complaints that are posted in App Store reviews, as those do not provide a way to contact you in order to obtain crucial details on the problem.
KanjiBox is a Japanese studying tool, geared at helping you memorise sets of vocabulary words, kanji and/or kana, through intelligent drilling and quizzing.
KanjiBox is particularly well suited for test preparation (JLPT, Kentei, Ninja Academy etc.) but also works great as a personal study tool.
To start using KanjiBox, simply:
Before playing, make sure to set your training level by going to: Settings » Level.
KanjiBox levels are modelled after official Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) levels: each set of kanji or vocabulary should closely match those required to pass the exam. Many online resources exist to help you figure out what your level might be, but if you are unsure, you can also simply go through each level until you find one that fits you.
If you are a complete beginner, you should be selecting JLPT 4 (the lowest level).
If you want to train above JLPT level (if you consider yourself perfectly fluent), you can pick level 先生 (Sensei), which will drill you on the entire JIS kanji set (6355 kanji) and a vocabulary set of about 18,000 words.
Note 1: level settings do not affect Kana mode (but if you are still learning Kana, you should be selecting JLPT 4).
Note 2: In Quiz mode, regardless of your settings, you will sometimes notice questions slightly below or above your level: this is normal behaviour (see Quiz mode description).
Note 3: In addition to the Level setting, also check the Cumulative Level setting.
All of KanjiBox's playing screens work on the same simple model:
Note 1: KanjiBox's main purpose is to help you memorise sets of kanji, words and kana. To do so, it uses a special adaptive algorithm that remembers each of your answers and can then use the data to decide which questions to ask next. See the full description of the Adaptive Learning Algorithm for more gory details.
Note 2: KanjiBox puts special care in selecting three "convincing" decoys along with the correct answer. For example, kanji choices always come in two pairs of closely resembling kanji (e.g. '友' will often be paired up with '左'). This is no coincidence at all: KanjiBox is a mean machine out to get you.
Drill mode is the main way to improve your general level: it helps you quickly survey what you already know and focusses on your weak points. There is no particular goal nor time constraint in Drill mode: questions will keep coming forever until you get tired and use the back menu.
Note: Because ofAdaptive Learning, some questions (the ones you keep getting wrong) will start reoccurring more and more often: this is perfectly normal behaviour, not a flaw in the program! Think of it as KanjiBox's way of telling you to stop making the same mistakes already...
Unlike Drill mode, Quiz mode adds a competitive edge by timing your answers, asking questions in "waves" of increasing difficulty and giving you a score at the end.
An essential difference with Drill mode, is that questions in Quiz mode are picked randomly and unaffected by your previous answers (otherwise put, it does not use the Adaptive Learning Algorithm). This is because Quiz mode is meant to give an unbiased assessment of your performance for a given level that you can even compare with other KanjiBox users throughout the world (a global online score board is in the work).
Note 1: The points you get for each question depend on how fast you answer (the coloured progress bar at the top). There is always a minimum amount of points awarded for an answer, even after the clock has stopped running.
Note 2: Beware! Choosing the wrong answer will remove points from your score. The only way to leave your score unaffected when you are not sure of the proper answer is to use the '?' button.
Note 3: Questions in Quiz mode are offered in a steady upward progression. Regardless of your general level setting, you will always start with a few questions below your level and end on questions slightly above it.
Note 4: Although Quiz mode does not use the Adaptive Learning Algorithm to pick questions, it still stores your answers. This means a question you failed in Quiz mode is more likely to pop again when you switch to Drill mode. Alternating sessions of Quiz and Drill mode is always a good strategy to get both the fun of competitive playing and the efficiency of targeted drilling.
Additional details on Quiz mode are available in the extra info section.
The stats page offers you a screenshot of your current level. Each entry you have been drilled/quizzed on (kanji, word, kana...) is given a color, depending on how well you have mastered it, and presented in bar charts broken down by sections (Kanji, Vocab and Kana) and JLPT levels.
The color scheme should be rather self-explanatory: light and dark green mean "good" (consistently answered correctly), while orange and red show entries you still do not seem to know well. White is entries that haven't appeared in either quiz or drill yet. Numbers represent the number of entries for each portion.
When you first open the application, all your stats will be empty, but as soon as you start playing (in either Drill or Quiz mode), they will start filling up quickly. The more you play, the greener they will become (assuming you make any progress at all, obviously).
Note: "Drill Options" only affect Drill mode: information display in Quiz mode is directly controlled by KanjiBox, regardless of these options, so as to ensure that every quiz taker competes in the exact same condition.
Version 1.1 introduces:
Any question left unanswered? comments burning to be made? suggestions? Do not hesitate to contact me: iphone@kanjibox.net.
Everything below this line is absolutely extraneous and not required in the slightest to properly enjoy and use KanjiBox. Feel free to read on, but don't say you weren't warned (think about it, you could instead go for a walk in the park, I bet it's beautiful outside right now, go play with your kids/pet/spouse/date, do your taxes, I don't know... There are so many better ways to use those next five minutes of your life).
If you have the latest version of Kotoba! (awesome free Japanese dictionary application for iPhone) installed, you can open it to the relevant entry directly from KanjiBox. Simply click on the small red and white icon in the lower-right corner of the detailed view for a word/kanji.
Beware: Unfortunately, opening Kotoba will terminate KanjiBox and you will lose any ongoing quiz session you may have.
To use the online version of KanjiBox on Facebook, go to: http://www.facebook.com/kanjibox (or search for "Kanji Box" in Facebook).
This version offers a few additional features, including the possibility to compare quiz scores with your friends and other users. Furthermore, as an iPhone KanjiBox user, you can claim "Elite" status, which gives you access to extra features (such as full text drill/quiz).
To upgrade your status, first add the application to your Facebook account, then browse to: http://kanjibox.net/kb/page/elite/special/iphone/ on your computer and follow the instructions there (you will need, your iPod/iPhone running KanjiBox, within reach).
Note: You need to access the above URLs from a computer browser, not from your iPhone.
Note 2: At the moment, Online KanjiBox requires a Facebook account to log-in (once signed up, however, you can use it without going to Facebook's webpage altogether).
KanjiBox uses a special algorithm to adapt to your level by storing all your answers and using the data to pick new questions. In effect: entries you consistently answer incorrectly will come back increasingly frequently, while those you appear to have memorised well will only be asked episodically.
Another effect of KanjiBox's adaptive algorithm is that you do not have to worry about breaking down each level into smaller study sets: KanjiBox does it automatically for you... After a few rounds of questions, you will notice that KanjiBox slows down the introduction of new questions (how slow, depends on how well you are doing on your past answers) to let you focus on the set of problematic entries.
While there is always an element of randomness, the general order and interval at which any entry (word, kanji, kana...) appears is perfectly controlled and optimised to make your learning curve as smooth as possible.
Quizzes are split in waves. Each wave can vary in size (usually between 4 and 15 questions) with a consistent level (as well as specific display options for things such as furigana or kanji readings...). During each wave, you must answer at least 60% (50% for JLPT 3 and 4) of all questions correctly, otherwise the quiz stops.
The number of points awarded for each (correctly answered) question depends on: level, wave, speed of the answer, speed of an African swallow carrying a coconut.
Picking an incorrect answer will remove a proportionate amount of points. For our probability-adverse friends reading: this means trying to guess answers is always a bad idea.
Safest strategy for questions you don't know is to make use of the '?' button. The question will still be considered failed, but your score will not go down.
Upon successful completions of the final wave (levels have between 7 and 10 waves, depending), you will receive a bonus number of points (100 to 500, depending on level).
High scores are kept separately for each level (switching to a level does not reset them in other levels).
This application uses the EDICT and KANJIDIC dictionary files. These files are the property of the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group, and are used in conformance with the Group's licence.